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Because a home inspection is so important, you want the best inspector you can find. Your real estate agent, attorney, or lender may have a list of inspectors they recommend. Use this as a starting point. You should also check with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances for recommendations; someone who's had personal experience with a home inspector can fill you in on the results of his work. Even if they had the inspection done a couple of years ago, the homeowner can tell you how thorough and accurate it was.
Before you hire a home inspector, ask several about their rates, and interview the most promising ones.
Although you can begin looking for a home inspector with your agent's list of recommendations, look beyond that list, too. A tough inspector who has a reputation for warning potential buyers away from problematic homes may not be too popular with agents - but can be your best friend in making sure the home is structurally sound.
Some states license and regulate home inspectors. (Your state law library can tell you about licensing and other regulations in your state. For a list of law libraries, visit the American Association of Law Libraries at http://aallnet.org/sis/sccll and click the Libraries link.) In addition, home inspectors can join (and abide by the tenets of) several professional associations. Each has its own professional standards, a code of ethics, and educational and other resources for members. So if a home inspector belongs to one or more of the associations below, consider that a good sign:
- American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI; www.ashi.org). With more than 6,000 members and 80 chapters across the U.S. and Canada, this is the largest professional association of home inspectors in North America. Full ASHI members have passed two written exams and have conducted at least 250 paid home inspections.
- International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI; www.nachi.org). To become InterNACHI-certified, a home inspector must pass a written exam, complete an ethics course, and take a standards-of-practice quiz. Renewing members must satisfy continuing education requirements.
- National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI; www.nahi.org). Established in 1987, NAHI has more than 2,000 members, with chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada. To join, members must complete a 40-hour home inspection-training program or have conducted at least 20 home inspections for paying clients. As an inspector gains more experience, he moves up to higher levels of membership.
Check out the websites of these associations for resources for homebuyers, such as answers to frequently asked questions about home inspections, and to search for member inspectors in your area.
